Elham Nasiri - English Lecturer, English Department, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

Examinations have always been considered highly important in academic contexts among which medical schools are not exceptions. With the recent trend of international campuses emerging in Iran, some students have shown concern with regard to exams administered in English, which provided the incentive for the present study to investigate the relationship between the students exam anxiety and the medium of instruction and language of examination in the international branch of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. To fulfill the goal, 139 medical students were selected. Having been validated (the reliability measure as 0.9), a standard test anxiety questionnaire was administered, which measured the students exam anxiety level. The students gender was also taken into account. Data were analyzed both descriptively and inferentially, revealing that when the medium of instruction and examination is English, it serves as a source of exam anxiety. However, no significant difference was noted between male and female students regarding their exam anxiety. The finding of this study can be of remarkable help to curriculum designers, educational planners, university students, professors, and all those engaged in higher education.

exam anxiety, medium of instruction, language of examination